Light olefins (defined herein as ethylene, propylene, butenes and mixtures thereof) serve as feeds for the production of numerous chemicals and polymers. Light olefins traditionally are produced by thermal or catalytic cracking of petroleum or naphtha. Due to the escalating cost/tightening supply of crude petroleum, efforts to develop light olefin production technologies based on alternative feedstocks have increased.
An important type of alternative feedstocks is oxygenates, such as alcohols, particularly methanol, ethers, and carbonates. Alcohols may be produced by fermentation, or from synthesis gas derived from natural gas, petroleum liquids, carbonaceous materials, including coal, recycled plastics, municipal wastes, or any organic material. Because of the wide variety of sources, alcohols, alcohol derivatives, and other oxygenates have promise as an economical, non-petroleum source for olefin production.
Olefins, particularly light olefins, are the most sought after products from oxygenate conversion and petroleum cracking processes. A continuing need exists to improve the catalysts to obtain better catalytic performance and to find faster, more efficient, and/or a more flexible catalyst manufacturing processes.